The use of autogeneic bone particles and/or bone marrow is widespread and well known in the art. See, for example, Salama, R., et al, J Bone Joint Surg (Br) (1973) 55: 402-417. Bone marrow has also been combined with biodegradable ceramic for periodontal defect repair (Levin, M.P., et al, J Biomed Mater Res (1975) 9: 183-195). The marrow or cancellous bone appears quite effective in mediating repair.
The use of collagen preparations for the repair of bone defects has also been extensively reported. The use of Collagenfleece.RTM., in particular, which is a freeze-dried, pepsin-treated preparation from pig skin, sterilized by gamma irradiation (as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,083) has been reported by Krekeler, B. G., et al, J Oral Surg (1981) 10:suppl. 1: 151;; Joos, U., et al, Biomaterials (1980) 1: 23-26; Zetzmann, D., et al, Schweiz Mschr Sabnhelik (1982) 92: 119; and Springorum, H. W., et al, Z Orthorp (1977) 115: 686. Other collagen preparations were used by Jaffee, A., et al, Arch Oral Biol (1978) 23: 415; ibid (1982) 27: 999, and by Cucin, R. L., et al, NY State J Med (1979) 1856. The use of atelopeptide fibrillar bovine collagen as a composition for conductive bone repair was disclosed in U.S. Ser. No. 752,447, filed 5 July 1985, assigned to the same assignee, and incorporated herein by reference. In addition, collagen has been used in conjunction with a factor extractable from bone which mediates inductive bone repair as disclosed by Jeffries in U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,370 and in U.S. Ser. No. 664,158, filed Oct. 24, 1984, assigned to the same assignee and incorporated herein by reference.
While it seems clear that bone marrow derived from the same individual, or, at worst, from an individual closely related, is helpful in repairing bone injuries or defects, it is a problem to keep the bone marrow in any but very small defects. Thus, bone marrow is not widely used as such. The material of choice is cancellous bone, which consists of a porous bone containing bone marrow. The problems with cancellous bone are that a second operation may be required to obtain it and it may be in short supply.